Belarus has found its millennial statehood

01.03.2017

Tags: Belarus, Lukashenko, Politics, History, Analysis

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko was "pro-Russian" or "pro-Soviet" only at the beginning of his political career. Subsequently, Minsk began to support the historians who insist on a long and distinctive way of Belarusians to their own state. Now, finally, the myth entrenched in school textbooks. What for?

The desire of some people - small and not very - to extend its history back centuries perceived as something familiar, though, and at least strange. In Russia, these marginal theory is actively promoted in 1990-ies, when the country was in a deep crisis, including ideological. It was then published pseudo-book, which invented the ancient Rus defeated all the enemies and founded Rome.

But, in contrast to Ukraine and some other post-Soviet countries, where the lengthening of their own history is funded at public expense and promoted in school textbooks, Russia, fortunately, in time gone this slippery, and most importantly - the infamous track. Invent itself imaginary victory and imagined great ancestors - the lot of losers countries. US history has 240 years, and any complexes about this modern Americans do not.

Moreover, the presence of a really long history and proven by independent sources wins does not affect the political and economic situation in the country. Greece and Armenia consider their history for thousands of years, but, with all due respect to them, are not political and economic flagships. Chinese and Indian stories - also one of the longest in the world, but China has made the current success thanks to the active work in recent decades, and not through historical and pseudo-historical research.

The history of ancient Russia begins with the "Tale of Bygone Years" - and its events partially supported by the Byzantine, Scandinavian, Persian and other sources. Reliable sources of earlier events, modern science has not yet opened, but there is fantasy and imagination of those who "lengthening history" seems a reason for something to qualify. Reported facts and confirmed by archaeological materials they seem insufficient, and eventually alternative history always walks hand in hand with conspiracy theories.

Ukraine is - the most typical example. But now the president of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko has instructed the "reliably reflect the new history textbooks of the Belarusian state formation."

We remind that the Belarusian government has appeared in 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, before that it was not his state of the Belarusians. However, the ideology of the new state it seemed undignified, and over the past years 25 Belarus gently propelled himself as the successor of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Like, Belarusians - this is the true descendants of the Lithuanians, and those who now live in Lithuania under the name of the Lithuanians - is Samogitians and other tribes who had indirect relation to the Principality of statehood.

This theory has a relative right to exist, but only on the grounds that the current territory of Belarus really was part of the ON and then - Rzeczpospolita. As a state ON ceased to exist shortly after the union with Poland, so to say that someone is a "successor" or "heir" of the principality, it is impossible. As Mexico - a new state, and not the heir to the empire of the Maya. Similarly, Turkey - is not the successor of Byzantium.

But Belarusian scientists continue research in the mists of time and come to new paradoxical conclusions.

As the head of the Center for Archeology and Ancient History of Belarus, the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences, Olga Levko, conducted studies showed that "the Belarusian statehood began to form in the middle of the IX century - with the creation of Polotsk land." "The formation of Polotsk as the center of this state education was carried out on a local tribal basis, while in Novgorod and Kiev Varangians were invited for this. Even later Polotsk lands, being part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Commonwealth, developed autonomously, "she said, presenting the cycle of scientific works" The Origins of Belarusian Statehood: Polotsk and Vitebsk Lands in the IX-XVIII Centuries "to President Lukashenko.

"It is necessary to register and to introduce into the minds of our people the truth. Here, if there is some kind of nationalism, the nationalism is common, "- he said in response to Lukashenko and requested to bring this information to the school textbooks.

Note that in historical science until recently prevailed consensus that the Old Russian state was neither Russian nor Ukrainian or Belarusian, but were Slavic tribes that interacted and mingled. Polotsk principality was only one breeding centers derive from it is the Belarusian State on the grounds that it was in what is now Belarus, unhistorical.

Moreover, in the "discovery" Levko, supported Lukashenko, there is a direct lie and juggling. Vikings did not disdain Polotsk - stated in the "Tale of Bygone Years": Rurik planted in the city of one of his associates. Names Rogvolod Polotsk prince and his daughter Rogneda (about it, to put it mildly, difficult relationship with Prince Vladimir tells the film "Viking") - Scandinavian, not Slavic. And even baptized Polotsk was not a saint Vladimir and Scandinavian Torvalds Traveller.

And, of course, there is no historical evidence to suggest that, as part of ON, Polotsk had some autonomy. Yes, Polotsk, being a frontier area, regularly passed under the authority of the Russian state, but the same thing happened to Smolensk, and other border cities. Russia's relations with ON, and then the Commonwealth has always been difficult. But Belarus in this relationship was not and could not be. The Belarusian nation was formed as a result of the Russian-Polish-Lithuanian cooperation.

It is strange that it is necessary once again to repeat these truths proved by historians, archaeologists and even geneticistsBut otherwise it seems impossible. Modern political grievances force some workers to seek oblivion in the past, and when the real story they are not satisfied, in the course are imagination and outright manipulation of facts.

"We really have created themselves, and then we were considered. All this is in tune with and actually is now, - said Alexander Lukashenko. - Today, some under the guise of "parasitism" something else trying to rock the boat, and to prove to us that this is not our land, but someone. Therefore it is very important for us. "Parasites" should know that they are simply trying to use today in the most selfish purposes, to destroy what is, to destroy the bud what we have revived, not to give us a foothold. And they will use everything. "

That is, according to the Belarusian president, he and a number of citizens of Belarus - heirs populated principality of Polotsk Krivichy. A "parasites" (protesting against discrimination in relation to the unemployed and self-employed people to the law) - it then who? Moscow in those days did not have (or rather, it was not mentioned in the chronicles).

However, Lukashenko at least falsify the history of thousands of years ago. While the former president of Ukraine Leonid Kravchuk said that the war between Russia and Ukraine "comes from the time of the Pereyaslav Rada", that is, more than 300 years.

It is prohibited to use copyright materials published on CypLIVE.com, on other Internet portals and in the mass media, and to distribute, translate, copy, reproduce or use CypLIVE.com materials in any other way without written permission. Copying of other materials is allowed provided an active link is placed on CypLIVE.com